Question

i need help with tummy time for my preemie please

my son was born 2months early he is now 6 months old, no matter what i do my son hates tummy time, weather i get down n play with him, if we do it with the boppy pillow, even if he has toys he does nothing but cries, anyone else have this problem?? he wont even sleep or anything on his belly he hates it

Mom Answers

Just keep practicing tummy time even if its only a couple of minutes at a time. My son hated it at first too until he grew strong enough to hold himself up. Also, babies should sleep on their backs so its a good thing he doesn't sleep on his stomache.

When babies hate being placed down on their tummy, the best way to start is by carrying them tummy down in a football hold, one arm across their chest under arms and the other coming up between their legs with your hand relaxed and open on their lower chest and abdomen (make sure to capture some ribcage, not just soft tummy). From there, you can angle up for easier work or maintain a more horizontal position. Fly around, land on different surfaces, play in a mirror and generally make a game of it. Slowly bring them down onto a surface (inclined at first) with your hands in same position until they start to tolerate that. Then take your hands away.
You can also mimic the incline with chest to chest/tummy to tummy, or across your lap with front leg higher than back leg.
Tummy time is important; the article that received so much press a few months ago is not a well-controlled study. There are many peer reviewed articles that point to the consequences of limited time on tummy.

There are also recent findings that tummy time might not make any difference. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/tummy-time-may-not-be-needed/?_r=0
Keep trying and put him on your chest while lying on your back. Those are great suggestions, but if he still doesn't like it, give yourself (and him) a break.

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